The widespread launch of vaccines in the US creates a new set of problems

The rapid spread of COVID-19 vaccinations to the elderly in the United States has led to blockages, system blockages and harsh feelings in many states due to the overwhelming demand for photos.

The Mississippi Department of Health stopped taking new meetings the same day it began accepting them because of a “monumental wave” of requests. People had to wait for hours to book vaccinations through a state website or toll-free number on Tuesday and Wednesday, and many were fired from the site due to technical issues and had to start over.

In California, counties have called for more coronavirus vaccine to reach millions of the elderly. Hospitals in South Carolina ran out of slots for appointments within hours. Phone lines have been blocked in Georgia.

“It’s chaos,” said 76-year-old New York resident Joan Jeffri, who has been dealing with broken hospital web links and unanswered phone calls before her daughter helped her set up a meeting. “If they want to vaccinate 80% of the population, good luck, if this is the system. We’ll be here in five years. ”

In recent days, health care workers and nursing home patients have been given priority in most places in the United States, but amid frustration with the slow launch, states have opened the line to many of the 54 million elderly of the nation, with the blessing of the administration of President Donald Trump, although the minimum age varies from one place to another, to 65, 70 or more.

On Thursday, New Jersey extended vaccinations to people between the ages of 16 and 65 with certain medical conditions – including up to 2 million smokers, who are more prone to health complications.

Meanwhile, the US recorded 3,848 deaths on Wednesday, down from a record high of 4,327 the day before, according to Johns Hopkins University. The total number of deaths in the nation due to COVID-19 exceeded 385,000.

President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday unveiled a $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus plan, which includes accelerating vaccinations. Called the “American Rescue Plan,” the bill will meet Biden’s goal of administering 100 million vaccines by the 100th day of administration.

More than 11.1 million Americans, or more than 3 percent of the U.S. population, got the first vaccine, a gain of about 800,000 from the day before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The goal of inoculating anywhere between 70% and 85% of the population to gain herd immunity and conquer the outbreak is still many months away.

Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous county with a population of 10 million, said it could not immediately shoot the elderly because it inoculated only about a quarter of the 800,000 health workers.

“We’re not done with our health care workers, and we don’t really have enough vaccine right now to be able to do it faster,” said Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. “I have not heard from the state about the availability of the vaccine and how it would be distributed.”

Santa Clara County health officials said the county of 2 million people had just enough vaccine to inoculate people 75 and older, not the crowd of 65 and older.

“It’s almost like a beauty contest. And this should not be a beauty contest, “said county supervisor Cindy Chavez. “It’s about life and death.”

In Mississippi, officials said the new meetings will likely have to wait until the hopeful shipment of the vaccine in mid-February.

In South Carolina, Kershaw Health in Camden has urged people not to call hospitals or doctors to schedule vaccination meetings after receiving more than 1,000 applications in two days. State health officials said the hotline received 5,000 calls on Wednesday.

Francis Clark said she has repeatedly tried to set up an appointment for her 81-year-old mother, who lives alone outside of Florence, South Carolina, and does not have internet access. But the local hospital did not open on Wednesday, Clark said, and the other vaccination sites are too far away.

“My mom can’t drive to Charleston,” Clark said. – She’s too old.

Allison Salerno, an audio producer in Athens, Georgia, said she spent most of the day calling the state health department to get a vaccine appointment for her 89-year-old mother.

“I started calling at 8:30 and on the 67th call I was finally put on hold,” Salerno said. “I already registered it two weeks before, but I never received a confirmation.”

After Salerno spent 65 minutes waiting, someone finally came on the line and gave her mother a date on Saturday.

“My mother has not been out since the beginning of the pandemic,” Salerno said. “She is a very healthy woman and she wants to go to the grocery store, she wants to do her hair.”

Meanwhile, some states, such as Minnesota, are waiting to open their doors.

“As we learn more, we will work to ensure that everyone who is eligible for a vaccine knows how, where and when they can get their vaccines,” the state Department of Health said in an email. “The opportunity will come for everyone to get vaccinated; it will only take some time. ”

Arizona, which has had the highest diagnosis rate of COVID-19 nationwide in the past week, will begin enrolling people 65 and older next week. He also plans to open a vaccination facility at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, in addition to the one that distributes thousands of photos daily to the Arizona Cardinals’ NFL home.

To intensify the pace of vaccinations, South Carolina has made a rule change, allowing medical students, retired nurses and other professionals to manage the photos.

California lawmakers are stepping up pressure on Governor Gavin Newsom to also extend the permit for injectors to include nursing students, retired nurses, firefighters and members of the National Guard with medical training.

Newsom said the state’s priority is to deliver vaccines “as soon as possible to those facing the worst consequences.” He called for patience for those who are not yet eligible, saying, “It’s your turn.”

Jeffri, New York, spent a few days trying to book a vaccination, and once he actually received a slot, he only received a follow-up text saying he didn’t have the doses. Finally, with the online removal of his daughter, the retired professor of arts administration made an appointment for her first shot – in two weeks from now.

“It’s a relief,” said Jeffri, who wrote to Governor Andrew Cuomo about her ordeal. “But I’m not sure I trust her until it’s over.”